Image sound device having display portion that can appear/disappear

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an image sound device having a display portion that can appear/disappear, the device comprising: a housing, the upper end of which is open, and which has a space provided therein; a display portion installed inside the housing to be able to output images; an elevating unit installed inside the housing and below the display portion such that the display portion can be made to protrude through the upper end of the housing; and a motor control portion for controlling the elevating unit such that the display portion can be positioned at two or more heights.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an image sound device, and moreparticularly, to an image sound device having a display part that canappear and disappear.

BACKGROUND ART

According to the development of electronic technology, sound devices forreproducing sounds such as songs and image devices through whichbroadcasting can be watched have become widespread.

However, since the sound devices and image devices are manufactured andsold as separate devices, the user needs to purchase the sound devicesand the image devices, separately.

In the case of the image devices, a screen on which an image isdisplayed is always exposed, so that the screen cannot be protected orhidden.

On the other hand, the image device may be configured to display two ormore aspect ratios of images on the screen. For example, when the screenof the image device has an aspect of 16:9, the image device can displayimages having an aspect ratio of 16:9 and images having an aspect ratioof 21:9.

However, when such a conventional image device displays an image havingan aspect ratio of 21:9, there exists a black screen in which the imageis not displayed on the upper and lower portions of the screen or thelower portion of the screen. When the black screen is present asdescribed above, there is a problem that the viewer is less immersedwhen viewing the image.

The sound devices may be configured to have a screen for outputtinginformation or lyrics of a song to be reproduced. However, since thesize of the screen provided in the sound device is small, it is possibleto view the contents displayed only when the user is close to the sounddevice. In addition, there is a problem that an image related to a soundto be reproduced cannot be output.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present disclosure has been developed in order to overcome the aboveproblems. An aspect of the present disclosure relates to an image sounddevice that can perform two functions of a sound device and an imagedevice and has a display part that can appear and disappear, in whichthe display part is accommodated in a housing and a height of thedisplay part projecting outside of the housing can be adjusted.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image sound devicehaving a display part that can appear and disappear may include ahousing, a top end of which is open and which has a space providedtherein; a display part provided inside the housing and configured tooutput an image; a lifter provided below the display part inside thehousing and configured to protrude the display part through the top endof the housing; and a motor controller configured to control the lifterwherein the display part is positioned at at least two heights.

The lifter may include a supporting plate supporting a bottom end of thedisplay part; a first link rotatably disposed at one end of thesupporting plate; a second link rotatably disposed at another end of thesupporting plate and intersecting with the first link; and a driverconfigured to drive another end of the first link and another end of thesecond link wherein the another end of the first link and the anotherend of the second link are moved toward or away from each other in ahorizontal direction.

The driver may include a first rack gear rotatably connected to theanother end of the first link; a second rack gear provided parallel tothe first rack gear and rotatably connected to the another end of thesecond link; a pinion provided between the first rack gear and thesecond rack gear and configured to move the first rack gear and thesecond rack gear in directions opposite to each other; and a motorconfigured to rotate the pinion.

The driver may include a pair of first guide pins provided at both endsof the first rack gear; a pair of second guide pins provided at bothends of the second rack gear; a first rack gear support member providedparallel to the first rack gear and provided with a first guide grooveinto which the pair of first guide pins are inserted; and a second rackgear support member provided parallel to the second rack gear andprovided with a second guide groove into which the pair of second guidepins are inserted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an image sound device having adisplay part that can appear and disappear according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the image sound device having adisplay part that can appear and disappear of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the displaypart of the image sound device having the display part that can appearand disappear of FIG. 1 is completely exposed from a housing;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an image sound device having a displaypart that can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure in which a rear side of a housing is removed;

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an image sound device having adisplay part that can appear and disappear according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image sound devicehaving a display part that can appear and disappear of FIG. 4 takenalong line 6-6;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a lifter when a display part of an imagesound device having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure is completelyexposed;

FIG. 8 is a view of the lifter of FIG. 4 viewed from the opposite side;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a lifter of an imagesound device having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a case in which an imagesound device having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure is used as a sounddevice;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a lifter of the image sound device havingthe display part that can appear and disappear of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a case in which an imagesound device having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure is operated as animage device for displaying an image having an aspect ratio of 21:9;

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating a lifter of the image sound device havingthe display part that can appear and disappear of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a state in which a lifter of an imagesound device having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure is completelyfolded; and

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a state in which a lifter of an imagesound device having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure is completelyunfolded.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of an image sound device having a display partthat can appear and disappear according to the present disclosure willbe described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are providedfor illustrative purpose only, and that the present disclosure may beembodied with various modifications different form exemplary embodimentsdescribed herein. However, in the following description below, detaileddescription of well-known functions or components will be omitted whenit may be unnecessary to obscure the subject matter of the presentdisclosure. Further, the accompanying drawings may be not drawn to scalein order to facilitate understanding of the invention, but thedimensions of some of the components may be exaggerated.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an image sound device having adisplay part that can appear and disappear according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of theimage sound device having a display part that can appear and disappearof FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in whichthe display part of the image sound device having the display part thatcan appear and disappear in FIG. 1 is completely exposed from a housing.FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an image sound device having a displaypart that can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure in which a rear side of a housing is removed. FIG. 5is a plan view illustrating an image sound device having a display partthat can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, an image sound device 1 having a display partthat can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure may include a housing 10, a display part 20, and a lifter 40.

The housing 10 is provided with a space for accommodating the displaypart 20 thereinside, and an opening 11 is provided in a top end of thehousing 10. Accordingly, the housing 10 is formed in a shapecorresponding to the shape of the display part 20, and the display part20 protrudes upward from the housing 10 through the opening 11 formed inthe top end of the housing 10. The housing 10 may be formed so that theimage sound device 1 having a display part that can appear and disappearaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure functions asfurniture for decorating the room. Thus, the outer surface of thehousing 10 may be decorated in various ways.

The display part 20 may be configured to be used as an image devicecapable of displaying images and as a sound device capable ofreproducing or recording sounds. For example, the image sound device 1may be used as an image device such as a TV, a monitor, or the like, andmay be used as a sound device capable of reproducing, outputting, andrecording sound sources of various formats. Accordingly, the displaypart 20 may be formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape,such as a general LCD TV. Alternatively, the display part 20 may beformed in a curved plate shape bent at a certain curvature. In thefollowing embodiments, the display part 20 is formed in a flat plateshape.

The display part 20 is provided with a controller 160 configured tocontrol the display part 20 to display an image on a screen 21 andoutput sound. In addition, the display part 20 may include a powersupplier 161 for supplying power. The controller 160 and the powersupplier 161 may be embedded in the rear surface 24 of the display part20. The display part 20 may include a speaker (not illustrated) capableof outputting a reproduced sound. Alternatively, the sound reproduced bythe display part 20 may be output through a speaker provided outside thedisplay part 20.

The housing 10 is formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shapecorresponding to the shape of the display part 20 to accommodate thedisplay part 20 which is the rectangular flat plate. The rectangularopening 11 is provided in the top end of the housing 10, so that thedisplay part 20 may be inserted into the housing 10 through the opening11 of the housing 10.

On both side surfaces of the housing 10, a pair of support stands 13 forsupporting the housing 10 with respect to a bottom surface are provided.The pair of support stands 13 are disposed so that the bottom of thehousing 10 is spaced apart from the bottom surface. Here, the bottomsurface refers to a floor of a place where the housing 10 is disposed,for example, a room, a living room, a bedroom, and the like.

The front surface 15 of the housing 10 is provided with a plurality ofthrough holes 15 a. The plurality of through holes 15 a are formed tofix accessories 31, 32, and 33. The accessories 31, 32, and 33 are fixedby using the plurality of through holes 15 a formed in the front surface15 of the housing 10 and are formed to be able to support objects suchas books with respect to the housing 10. For example, referring to FIGS.1, 3, and 5, one accessory 31 may be formed in the shape of a flat platethat can be fixed using some of the plurality of through holes 15 a.Another accessory 32 may be formed in a rod shape whose one end is fixedto the through hole 15 a. The other accessory 33 may be formed in asubstantially U-shape whose both ends are fixed to the through holes 15a. Alternatively, although not illustrated, an accessory may be formedin a substantially L shape whose one end is fixed to the through hole 15a. The accessories 31, 32, and 33 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5 areonly examples, and the shape of the accessory is not limited thereto.

A plurality of through holes 16 a may be formed on the rear surface 16of the housing 10 in the same manner as the front surface 15 of thehousing 10. The above-described accessories 31, 32, and 33 may be fixedto the plurality of through holes 16 a formed in the rear surface 16 ofthe housing 10 as well.

At least one speaker 18 and 19 configured to output sound reproduced bythe display part 20 to the outside may be provided near the bottom ofthe inside of the housing 10. In the present embodiment, two speakers 18and 19 are provided inside the housing 10 in addition to the displaypart 20. The sound output from the two speakers 18 and 19 may betransmitted to the outside through the plurality of through holes 15 aformed in the front surface 15 of the housing 10. Alternatively,although not illustrated, openings corresponding to the speakers 18 and19 may be formed on the front surface 15 of the housing 10 so that thefront surfaces of the speakers 18 and 19 are exposed to the outside.Alternatively, the at least one speaker 18 and 19 may be providedoutside the housing 10.

When the at least two speakers 18 and 19 are provided separately fromthe display part 20 as described above, a large speaker may be used ascompared to a speaker built in the display part 20 so that it ispossible to provide a good sound when used as a sound device.

The lifter 40 is disposed inside the housing 10 below the display part20 and is configured to move the display part 20 up and down withrespect to the housing 10. In other words, the lifter 40 is configuredto protrude the display part 20 to the outside of the housing 10 throughthe opening 11 at the top end of the housing 10 to expose the screen 21and to lower the protruded display part 20 to be accommodated inside thehousing 10. When the display part 20 is received in the housing 10, thescreen 21 of the display part 20 is protected by the housing 10.

The lifter 40 may be configured to position the display part 20 at atleast two heights. For example, the lifter 40 is configured to move thedisplay part 20 between a first position (see FIGS. 1 and 4) in whichthe display part 20 is completely accommodated in the housing 10 and isnot exposed to the outside of the housing 10 and a second position (seeFIGS. 3 and 7) where the display part 20 is completely exposed to theoutside of the housing 10. As another example, the lifter 40 may beconfigured to position the display part 20 at a position where a portionof the screen 21 of the display part 20 is exposed.

In the present embodiment, the lifter 40 is configured to be able toposition the display part 20 at an arbitrary position between the firstposition and the second position.

Hereinafter, the lifter used in the image sound device having a displaypart that can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.4, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the image sound devicehaving a display part that can appear and disappear of FIG. 4 takenalong line 6-6. FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a lifter when a displaypart of an image sound device having a display part that can appear anddisappear according to an embodiment of the present disclosure iscompletely exposed, and FIG. 8 is a view of the lifter of FIG. 4 viewedfrom the opposite side. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective viewillustrating a lifter of an image sound device having a display partthat can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 6 to 9, the lifter 40 is disposed inside thehousing 10 so as not to be exposed to the outside of the housing 10. Thelifter 40 may include a supporting plate 50, a first link 60, a secondlink 70, a driver 80, and a motor controller 150.

The supporting plate 50 is fixed to the bottom end of the display part20 accommodated in the housing 10 and supports the display part 20. Thesupporting plate 50 may be formed in the shape of a rectangular platehaving a shape and size corresponding to the bottom end of the displaypart 20.

The first link 60 is rotatably disposed at one end of the supportingplate 50. In detail, one end 61 of the first link 60 is rotatablydisposed at one end portion of the supporting plate 50. The other end 62of the first link 60 is connected to the driver 80 and is movable by thedriver 80.

The second link 70 is rotatably disposed at the other end of thesupporting plate 50 and is disposed to intersect with the first link 60.In detail, one end 71 of the second link 70 is rotatably disposed at theother end portion of the supporting plate 50, so that the first link 60and the second link 70 are arranged in an X shape. The other end 72 ofthe second link 70 is connected to the driver 80 and is movable by thedriver 80.

The driver 80 is configured to drive the other end 62 of the first link60 and the other end 72 of the second link 70 so that the other end 62of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the second link 70 aremoved toward or away from each other in the horizontal direction. Thedriver 80 may include a first rack gear 81 connected to the first link60, a second rack gear 82 connected to the second link 70, a pinion 85to drive the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82, and a motor100 to rotate the pinion 85.

The first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are disposed parallelto each other so that one surfaces on which gear teeth are formed faceeach other. The pinion 85 is provided between the first rack gear 81 andthe second rack gear 82. In detail, the first rack gear 81 is providedbelow the pinion 85, and the second rack gear 82 is provided above thepinion 85. The pinion 85 is provided to engage with the gear teeth ofthe first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82. Accordingly, whenthe pinion 85 rotates, the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear82 horizontally move in opposite directions to each other.

The other end 62 of the first link 60 is rotatably connected to one endof the first rack gear 81. Further, a pair of first guide pins 83-1 and83-2 are provided at both ends of the first rack gear 81. In otherwords, the first rack gear 81 is provided with two first guide pins 83-1and 83-2. One first guide pin 83-1 provided at one end of the first rackgear 81 may be disposed coaxially with a hinge shaft which connects thefirst link 60 and the first rack gear 81 to rotate with respect to eachother. Further, the two first guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 are not providedat the same level but may be provided in the first rack gear 81 to havedifferent levels. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the pair of first guide pins83-1 and 83-2 may be provided so that the mounting level of the firstguide pin 83-1 provided on the hinge shaft connected to the first link60 is higher by a predetermined height Δh than the mounting level of thefirst guide pin 83-2 provided on the other end of the first rack gear81.

The pair of first guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 provided in the first rackgear 81 may be guided by a first rack gear support member 91 which isdisposed parallel to one side of the first rack gear 81 and faces thefirst rack gear 81. Therefore, the first rack gear support member 91 isprovided with two first guide grooves 91-1 and 91-2 in which the pair offirst guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 are inserted and guided.

The two first guide grooves 91-1 and 91-2 include an upper first guidegroove 91-1 and a lower first guide groove 91-2 which are formed to havethe same height difference as the height difference Δh between the pairof the first guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 provided in the first rack gear81. The upper first guide groove 91-1 guides the first guide pin 83-1 ofthe first rack gear 81 and the lower first guide groove 91-2 guides thefirst guide pin 83-2. The first guide grooves 91-1 and 91-2 guide themovement of the first rack gear 81 and restrict the moving distance ofthe first rack gear 81. Therefore, the first guide grooves 91-1 and 91-2are formed as elongated holes. The elongated holes are formed to have alength so that the pair of the first guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 of thefirst rack gear 81 do not interfere with first rack gear support member91 when the supporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 is positioned at thefirst position where the supporting plate 50 is positioned at the lowestposition and the second position where the supporting plate 50 ispositioned at the highest position.

A guide groove may be formed on the outer circumferential surface ofeach of the first guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 so that the pair of firstguide pins 83-1 and 83-2 are stably guided by the first guide grooves91-1 and 91-2.

The other end 72 of the second link 70 is rotatably connected to one endof the second rack gear 82. Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9, apair of second guide pins 84-1 and 84-2 are provided at both ends of thesecond rack gear 82. In other words, the second rack gear 82 is providedwith two second guide pins 84-1 and 84-2. One second guide pin 84-1provided at one end of the second rack gear 82 may be disposed coaxiallywith a hinge shaft which connects the second link 70 and the second rackgear 82 to rotate with respect to each other. Further, the two secondguide pins 84-1 and 84-2 are not provided at the same level but may beprovided in the second rack gear 82 to have different levels. Asillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9, the pair of second guide pins 84-1 and84-2 may be provided so that the mounting level of the second guide pin84-1 provided on the hinge shaft connected to the second link 70 ishigher than the mounting level of the second guide pin 84-2 provided onthe other end of the second rack gear 82. The pair of second guide pins84-1 and 84-2 provided in the second rack gear 82 are disposed toprotrude in a direction opposite to the pair of first guide pins 83-1and 83-2 provided in the first rack gear 81.

The pair of second guide pins 84-1 and 84-2 provided in the second rackgear 82 may be guided by a second rack gear support member 92 which isdisposed parallel to one side of the second rack gear 82 and faces thesecond rack gear 82. Therefore, the second rack gear support member 92is provided with two second guide grooves 92-1 and 92-2 in which thepair of second guide pins 84-1 and 84-2 are inserted and guided.

The two second guide grooves 92-1 and 92-2 include an upper second guidegroove 92-1 and a lower second guide groove 92-2 which are formed tohave the same height difference as the height difference between thepair of the second guide pins 84-1 and 84-2 provided in the second rackgear 82. The upper second guide groove 92-1 guides the second guide pin84-2 of the second rack gear 82 and the lower second guide groove 92-2guides the second guide pin 84-1. The second guide grooves 92-1 and 92-2guide the movement of the second rack gear 82 and restrict the movingdistance of the second rack gear 82. Therefore, the second guide grooves92-1 and 92-2 are formed as elongated holes. The elongated holes areformed to have a length so that the pair of the second guide pins 84-1and 84-2 of the second rack gear 82 do not interfere with second rackgear support member 92 when the supporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 ispositioned at the first position where the supporting plate 50 ispositioned at the lowest position and the second position where thesupporting plate 50 is positioned at the highest position. The secondrack gear support member 92 is disposed to face the first rack gearsupport member 91 in parallel.

A guide groove may be formed on the outer circumferential surface ofeach of the second guide pins 84-1 and 84-2 in the same manner as thefirst guide pins 83-1 and 83-2 so that the pair of second guide pins84-1 and 84-2 are stably guided by the second guide grooves 92-1 and92-2.

The pinion 85 provided between the first rack gear 81 and the secondrack gear 82 is rotated by the motor 100. Therefore, the pinion 85 isdisposed directly on the motor shaft of the motor 100. When the motor100 in which a speed reducer 101 is integrally disposed is used in thedriver 80 as in the present embodiment, the pinion 85 is provided on theoutput shaft of the speed reducer 101. Therefore, when the output shaftof the speed reducer 101 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 100,the pinion 85 also rotates integrally with the output shaft. In theembodiment as illustrated in FIG. 7, the geared motor 100 in which thegear reducer 101 is integrally provided is used in the driver 80.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 14, since the first rack gear 81 and thesecond rack gear 82 are provided below and above the pinion 85, when thepinion 85 rotates, the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82move in opposite directions.

For example, in FIG. 14, when the pinion 85 rotates in the clockwisedirection, the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are movedso that one end of the first rack gear 81 connected to the first link 60and one end of the second rack gear 82 connected to the second link 70are moved away from each other. When the one end of the first rack gear81 to which the first link 60 is connected and the one end of the secondrack gear 82 to which the second link 70 is connected are moved awayfrom each other, the supporting plate 50 is lowered by the first link 60and the second link 70 connected to the first rack gear 81 and thesecond rack gear 82, respectively.

When the pinion 85 rotates in the counter-clockwise direction, the firstrack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are moved in the direction inwhich the one end of the first rack gear 81 connected to the first link60 and the one end of the second rack gear 82 connected to the secondlink 70 approach each other (see arrows A and B in FIG. 14). When theone end of the first rack gear 81 to which the first link 60 isconnected and the one end of the second rack gear 82 to which the secondlink 70 is connected are moved in the direction in which they approacheach other, the supporting plate 50 is raised by the first link 60 andthe second link 70 connected to the first rack gear 81 and the secondrack gear 82, respectively.

In addition, two idle gears 86, that is, a first idle gear and a secondidle gear may be provided between the first rack gear 81 and the secondrack gear 82 so that the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82move stably. The two idle gears 86 are provided on the left and rightsides of the pinion 85.

Further, the pinion 85 and the two idle gears 86 may be supported bysupport brackets 87. In other words, the two idle gears 86 may berotatably disposed on the support brackets 87. The support brackets 87are provided with a through hole 87 a through which a shaft providedwith the pinion 85 passes. When the pinion 85 and the two idle gears 86are supported by the support brackets 87, the distance between thepinion 85 and the two idle gears 86 may be kept constant when the firstrack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are moved by the pinion 85.

The lifter 40 may further include a position detector capable ofdetecting the position of the supporting plate 50. The position detectoris configured to detect the position of the supporting plate 50 when thesupporting plate 50 is moved up and down by the lifter 40.

As an example, the position detector may be configured to detect thecase where the supporting plate 50 is positioned at the first positionwhere the supporting plate 50 is the lowest and the case where thesupporting plate 50 is positioned at the second position where thesupporting plate 50 is the highest. Referring to FIG. 7, the positiondetector may include two position detecting sensors, that is, a firstposition detecting sensor 141 and a second position detecting sensor142, which are disposed near the upper second guide groove 92-1, and adog 143 which is provided on the second guide pin 84-2 of the secondrack gear 82 and operates the first and second position detectingsensors 141 and 142.

When the supporting plate 50 is in the first position as illustrated inFIG. 4, the dog 143 provided on the second guide pin 84-2 of the secondrack gear 82 operates the first position detecting sensor 141 which isdisposed adjacent to the motor 100. When the first position detectingsensor 141 is activated, the motor controller 150 receives a signal fromthe first position detecting sensor 141 and recognizes that thesupporting plate 50 is positioned at the first position. In other words,when the signal is received from the first position detecting sensor141, the motor controller 150 identifies that the display part 20 iscompletely accommodated in the housing 10 and the screen 21 is notexposed to the outside.

When the supporting plate 50 is in the second position as illustrated inFIG. 7, the dog 143 provided on the second guide pin 84-2 of the secondrack gear 82 operates the second position detecting sensor 142 which isdisposed adjacent to the side wall of the housing 10. When the secondposition detecting sensor 142 is activated, the motor controller 150receives a signal from the second position detecting sensor 142 andrecognizes that the supporting plate 50 is positioned at the secondposition. In other words, when the signal is received from the secondposition detecting sensor 142, the motor controller 150 identifies thatthe display part 20 protrudes upward from the housing 10 and the screen21 is completely exposed to the outside.

In the case of the present embodiment, limit switches are used as theposition detecting sensors 141 and 142 constituting the positiondetector. However, this is only an example, and the position detectingsensor is not limited thereto.

The supporting plate 50 may be guided with respect to the inner sidewalls of the housing 10 so that the lifter 40 stably maintains the upand down movement of the supporting plate 50. To this end, a pair ofguides 51 are provided at both ends of the supporting plate 50. In otherwords, the pair of guides 51 are provided to extend downward from bothends of the supporting plate 50. The guide 51 is disposed perpendicularto the supporting plate 50 and is fixed to the supporting plate 50 by afixing bracket 55.

A pair of guide receiving portions 130 for guiding the up and downmovement of the pair of guides 51 provided on the supporting plate 50are provided on both inner side walls of the housing 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, each of the guides 51 includes two parallelprotrusions 52 formed in a vertical direction and each of the guidereceiving portions 130 includes two elongated grooves 131 in which thetwo protrusions 52 of the guide 51 are received. The two elongatedgrooves 131 are formed to have a length corresponding to the height ofthe housing 10 in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the supportingplate 50 is raised or lowered by the lifter 40, the pair of guides 51provided at both ends of the supporting plate 50 are moved in thevertical direction along the pair of guide receiving portions 130provided on the inner side walls of the housing 10. Therefore, the upand down vertical movement of the supporting plate 50 is stably guidedby the pair of guides 51 and the pair of guide receiving portions 130.

In addition, the lifter 40 may include at least one damper 110 providedon one side of the second rack gear support member 92. The damper 110 isformed to absorb an impact when the display part 20 is lowered. Thedamper 110 may also reduce the load which is applied to the driver 80when the lifter 40 raises the display part 20.

In the case of the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9,two dampers 110 are provided on one side of the second rack gear supportmember 92 and perpendicular to the bottom surface of the housing 10. Thedamper 110 includes a damper body 111 and a damper rod 112 disposed toprotrude and retreat relative to the damper body 111. Therefore, whenthe supporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 is lowered, the top end of thedamper rod 112 comes into contact with the supporting plate 50. When thesupporting plate 50 is continuously lowered, the rod 112 of the damper110 is inserted into the damper body 111 and absorbs the impact of thesupporting plate 50.

Further, the lifter 40 may further include a support damper 120 disposedbetween the first link 60 and the first rack gear 81 or between thesecond link 70 and the second rack gear 82. In the case of theembodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9, the support damper 120 isprovided between the first link 60 and the first rack gear 81. Indetail, one end of the support damper 120 is rotatably connected to oneend of the first rack gear 81, and the other end of the support damper120 is rotatably connected to the substantially central portion 63 ofthe first link 60. Therefore, the first rack gear 81, the support damper120, and a portion of the first link 60 form a triangle. Accordingly,when the first rack gear 81 is moved by the pinion 85, the first link 60may be stably rotated with respect to the first rack gear 81 by thesupport damper 120. Further, the support damper 120 functions tomitigate the impact applied to the lifter 40 when the supporting plate50 is completely lowered.

The motor 100 of the lifter 40 is controlled by the motor controller150. The motor controller 150 may be disposed in the display part 20.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the motor controller 150 may bedisposed on one side of the controller 160 in the rear surface of thedisplay part 20.

The motor controller 150 may be configured to control the state in whichthe display part 20 protrudes from the top end of the housing 10. As oneexample, the motor controller 150 may be configured to control thelifter 40 such that the display part 20 is positioned at four heightswith respect to the housing 10.

In detail, the motor controller 150 may control the lifter 40 toposition at one of the first position where the supporting plate 50 ofthe lifter 40 is positioned at the lowest height and the screen 21 ofthe display part 20 is not exposed from the top end of the housing 10,the second position where the supporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 ispositioned at the highest height and the screen 21 is completely exposedfrom the top end of the housing 10, a third position where thesupporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 is slightly raised from the firstposition and a portion of the screen 21 is exposed through the opening11 at the top end of the housing 10, and a fourth position where thesupporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 is raised higher than the thirdposition and lower than the second position and the screen 21 is exposedthrough the top end of the housing 10 more than the third position. Atthis time, the fourth position may be a position where the aspect ratioof the exposed portion of the screen 21 is 21:9. In the case in whichthe aspect ratio of the screen 21 of the display part 20 is 16:9, whenthe supporting plate 50 of the lifter 40 is positioned at the secondposition, the viewer can watch an image having the aspect ratio of 16:9.

A selection switch 22 configured to select a protruding state of thedisplay part 20 may be provided on the top end of the display part 20.Referring to FIG. 5, five selection switches 22 are provided on the topend of the display part 20. The four selection switches 22 correspond tothe four positions at which the display part 20 can be positioned,respectively. Accordingly, when one of the four switches 22 is pressed,the display part 20 is positioned at a position corresponding to theselected selection switch 22. The remaining one switch is a power buttonfor turning on/off the image sound device 1.

Hereinafter, an operation of an image sound device having a display partthat can appear and disappear according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

When the image sound device 1 having a display part that can appear anddisappear is not used, the display part 20 is positioned at the firstposition where the screen 21 of the display part 20 is not exposed tothe outside as illustrated in FIG. 1.

When the display part 20 is positioned at the first position, the stateof the lifter 40 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 14. When the supportingplate 50 of the lifter 40 is positioned at the first position, the firstlink 60 and the second link 70 are positioned in a substantiallyhorizontal state. At this time, the other end 62 of the first link 60and the other end 72 of the second link 70 are farthest apart from eachother. Further, the dog 143 provided on the second guide pin 84-2 of thesecond link 70 operates the first position detecting sensor 141.Therefore, the motor controller 150 may recognize that the supportingplate 50 of the lifter 40 is in the first position.

The display part 20 may be operated even when the screen 21 of thedisplay part 20 is accommodated in the housing 10 and is not exposed tothe outside as illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the display part 20may output only sound without displaying an image in the state where thedisplay part 20 is accommodated in the housing 10. Alternatively, onlyan image may be displayed without sound output. In this case, the usermay recognize the image displayed on the screen 21 through the pluralityof through holes 15 a provided in the front surface 15 of the housing10. Therefore, in this case, the image to be output on the screen 21 maybe a special image that can be recognized from the outside through theplurality of through holes 15 a and can give a certain effect such as adecorative effect, a lighting effect, or the like to the housing 10rather than a general image. Alternatively, the display part 20 mayoutput image and sound at the same time in the state where the displaypart 20 is completely accommodated in the housing 10.

When the user wants to use the image sound device 1 having a displaypart that can appear and disappear as the sound device, the user pressesthe selection switch 22 corresponding to the third position to positionthe display part 20 at the third position as illustrated in FIG. 10.

When the selection switch 22 corresponding to the third position ispressed, the motor 100 of the driver 80 is operated to rotate the pinion85 so that the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are movedin the directions in which the other end 62 of the first link 60 and theother end 72 of the second link 70 approach each other. For example, inFIG. 14, when the pinion 85 rotates in the counter-clockwise direction,the first rack gear 81 is moved in the direction of arrow A and thesecond rack gear 82 is moved in the direction of arrow B so that theother end 62 of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the secondlink 70 are brought close to each other. When the supporting plate 50 israised to a predetermined height, the motor controller 150 stops themotor 100. Thus, the screen 21 of the display part 20 is protruded fromthe top end of the housing 10 by a predetermined height as illustratedin FIG. 10. At this time, the dog 143 provided on the second guide pin84-2 of the second rack gear 82 is spaced apart from the first positiondetecting sensor 141.

Accordingly, when the display part 20 is positioned at the thirdposition, the screen 21 of the display part 20 is slightly exposed fromthe top end of the housing 10 as illustrated in FIG. 10. At this time,the size of the portion of the screen 21 exposed from the housing 10 maybe determined to display information of the sound to be output.

When the user wants to use the image sound device 1 having a displaypart that can appear and disappear as the image device having the aspectratio of 21:9, the user presses the selection switch 22 corresponding tothe fourth position to position the display part 20 at the fourthposition as illustrated in FIG. 12.

When the selection switch 22 corresponding to the fourth position ispressed, the motor 100 of the driver 80 is operated to rotate the pinion85 so that the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are movedin the directions in which the other end 62 of the first link 60 and theother end 72 of the second link 70 approach each other. For example, inFIG. 14, when the pinion 85 rotates in the counter-clockwise direction,the first rack gear 81 is moved in the direction of arrow A and thesecond rack gear 82 is moved in the direction of arrow B so that theother end 62 of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the secondlink 70 are brought close to each other. At this time, the distancebetween the other end 62 of the first link 60 and the other end 72 ofthe second link 70 is smaller than the distance between the other end 62of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the second link 70 whichare positioned at the third position.

When the supporting plate 50 is raised to a predetermined heightcorresponding to the fourth position, the motor controller 150 stops themotor 100. Thus, the screen 21 of the display part 20 is more protrudedfrom the top end of the housing 10 than the third position asillustrated in FIG. 12. At this time, the dog 143 provided on the secondguide pin 84-2 of the second rack gear 82 is positioned closer to thesecond position detecting sensor 142 than the first position detectingsensor 141, but does not operate the second position detecting sensor142.

Accordingly, when the display part 20 is positioned at the fourthposition, the screen 21 is protruded from the top end of the housing 10so that the aspect ratio of the screen 21 is 21:9 as illustrated in FIG.12. Therefore, when an image having an aspect ratio of 21:9 is displayedin this state, the screen 21 filled with an image can be seen without ablack screen.

When the user desires to completely expose the screen 21 of the displaypart 20 of the image sound device 1 having a display part that canappear and disappear, the user presses the selection switch 22corresponding to the second position to position the display part 20 atthe second position as illustrated in FIG. 3.

When the selection switch 22 corresponding to the second position ispressed, the motor 100 of the driver 80 is operated to rotate the pinion85 so that the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are movedin the directions in which the other end 62 of the first link 60 and theother end 72 of the second link 70 approach each other. For example, inFIG. 14, when the pinion 85 rotates in the counter-clockwise direction,the first rack gear 81 is moved in the direction of arrow A and thesecond rack gear 82 is moved in the direction of arrow B so that theother end 62 of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the secondlink 70 are brought close to each other. At this time, the distancebetween the other end 62 of the first link 60 and the other end 72 ofthe second link 70 is smaller than the distance between the other end 62of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the second link 70 whichare positioned at the fourth position.

When the dog 143 provided on the second guide pin 84-2 of the secondrack gear 82 operates the second position detecting sensor 142, themotor controller 150 stops the motor 100. Thus, the screen 21 of thedisplay part 20 is completely protruded through the top end of thehousing 10 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Accordingly, when the aspect ratio of the screen 21 of the display part20 is 16:9, the aspect ratio of the exposed screen 21 is 16:9.Therefore, when an image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 is displayed inthis state, the screen 21 filled with an image can be seen without ablack screen.

When the user desires to insert the display part 20 of the image sounddevice 1 having a display part that can appear and disappear into thehousing 10 to prevent the screen 21 from being exposed to the outside,the user presses the selection switch 22 corresponding to the firstposition to position the display part 20 at the first position asillustrated in FIG. 1.

When the selection switch 22 corresponding to the first position ispressed, the motor 100 of the driver 80 is operated to rotate the pinion85 so that the first rack gear 81 and the second rack gear 82 are movedin the directions in which the other end 62 of the first link 60 and theother end 72 of the second link 70 are moved away from each other. Forexample, in FIG. 15, when the pinion 85 rotates in the clockwisedirection, the first rack gear 81 is moved in the direction of arrow Cand the second rack gear 82 is moved in the direction of arrow D so thatthe other end 62 of the first link 60 and the other end 72 of the secondlink 70 are moved away from each other.

When the second rack gear 82 moves in the direction of arrow D and thedog 143 provided on the second guide pin 84-2 of the second rack gear 82operates the second position detecting sensor 142, the motor controller150 stops the motor 100. Thus, the screen 21 of the display part 20 iscompletely inserted into housing 10 through the opening 11 at the topend of the housing 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the above description, the selection of the protrusion height of thedisplay part is made by using the selection switches provided on thedisplay part. However, as another example, the protrusion height of thedisplay part may be selected by using a remote controller. In this case,a plurality of selection buttons corresponding to the plurality ofpositions of the display part may be provided on the remote controller.For example, when the display part may be positioned at four positionsas in the present embodiment, the remote controller may be provided withfour selection buttons corresponding to these four positions.

As described above, the image sound device having a display part thatcan appear and disappear according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure is convenient in that it may be used as a decorativefurniture that decorates the room, an image device, and a sound devicewith one device.

In addition, the image sound device having a display part that canappear and disappear according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure can adjust the height of a screen. Therefore, when an imagehaving an aspect ratio of 21:9 is displayed on a screen of a displaypart having an aspect ratio of 16:9, a black screen may be madeinvisible.

Further, the image sound device having a display part that can appearand disappear according to an embodiment of the present disclosure canaccommodate the display part inside the housing, thereby protecting thescreen.

The present disclosure has been described above by way example. Theterms used herein are for the purpose of description and should not beconstrued as limiting. Various modifications and variations of thepresent disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings.Therefore, the present disclosure can be freely carried out within thescope of the claims unless otherwise specified.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An image sound device having a display partthat can appear and disappear, the image sound device comprising: ahousing, a top end of which is open and which has a space providedtherein; a display part provided inside the housing and configured tooutput an image; a lifter provided below the display part inside thehousing and configured to protrude the display part through the top endof the housing; and a motor controller configured to control the lifter,wherein the display part is positioned at at least two positions, anaspect ratio of an exposed portion of a screen of the display part is21:9 in one of the at least two positions, the lifter comprises, asupporting plate supporting a bottom end of the display part; a firstlink rotatably disposed at one end of the supporting plate; a secondlink rotatably disposed at another end of the supporting plate andintersecting with the first link; and a driver configured to driveanother end of the first link and another end of the second link,wherein the another end of the first link and the another end of thesecond link are moved toward or away from each other in a horizontaldirection, and wherein the driver comprises, a first rack gear rotatablyconnected to the another end of the first link; a second rack gearprovided parallel to the first rack gear and rotatably connected to theanother end of the second link; first and second idle gears and a pinionprovided between the first rack gear and the second rack gear andconfigured to move the first rack gear and the second rack gear indirections opposite to each other; and a motor configured to rotate thepinion while distances between the pinion and the first and second idlegears are kept constant.
 2. The image sound device of claim 1, whereinthe first and second idle gears are provided on both sides of the pinionbetween the first rack gear and the second rack gear.
 3. The image sounddevice of claim 1, wherein the driver further comprises, a pair of firstguide pins provided at both ends of the first rack gear; a pair ofsecond guide pins provided at both ends of the second rack gear; a firstrack gear support member provided parallel to the first rack gear andprovided with a first guide groove into which the pair of first guidepins are inserted; and a second rack gear support member providedparallel to the second rack gear and provided with a second guide grooveinto which the pair of second guide pins are inserted.
 4. The imagesound device of claim 3, wherein two first guide pins included in thepair of first guide pins are provided in the first rack gear atdifferent heights from each other, and two second guide pins included inthe pair of second guide pins are provided in the second rack gear atdifferent heights from each other.
 5. The image sound device of claim 1,wherein the lifter further comprises: a pair of guides extending fromboth ends of the supporting plate; and a pair of guide receivingportions provided in both inner side walls of the housing and configuredto receive the pair of guides and guide a vertical movement of the pairof guides.
 6. The image sound device of claim 5, wherein the pair ofguides are formed in two parallel protrusions, and the pair of guidereceiving portions are formed in two elongated grooves to receive thetwo protrusions.
 7. The image sound device of claim 1, wherein thelifter further comprises at least one damper configured to absorb animpact when the display part is lowered.
 8. The image sound device ofclaim 7, wherein the at least one damper comprises two damper verticallyprovided on a bottom surface of the housing.
 9. The image sound deviceof claim 7, wherein the at least one damper comprises a support damperprovided between the first link and the first rack gear or between thesecond link and the second rack gear.
 10. The image sound device ofclaim 1, wherein the lifter further comprises a position detectorconfigured to detect a position of the supporting plate.
 11. The imagesound device of claim 1, wherein the display part is positioned at oneof: a first position where the screen is not exposed from the top end ofthe housing; a second position where the screen is completely exposedfrom the top end of the housing; a third position where the screen ispartially exposed from the top end of the housing; and a fourth positionwhere the screen is exposed from the top end of the housing more thanthe third position and less than the second position, and the aspectratio of the exposed portion of the screen is 21:9.
 12. The image sounddevice of claim 1, wherein at least one of a front surface and a rearsurface of the housing is provided with a plurality of through holes.13. The image sound device of claim 12, wherein a speaker is providedinside the housing.